Himachal govt failed to utilise funds provided by Centre: Jai Ram

The LoP said that the state government revealed that the Centre had sanctioned ₹211 crore over the past three years under the Free Medicine Scheme

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday accused the state government of failing to utilise funds provided by the Centre.

He said that in the 2024-25 fiscal year, Himachal received ₹80 crore from the Centre; of this, ₹66 crore was spent, leaving a balance of ₹13.88 crore. (HT File)

In a statement, Thakur said, “People in the state are losing their lives due to a lack of medicines and adequate medical care. It is astonishing that the Sukhu government is unable to utilise even the funds sent by the central government under the ‘Free Medicine Policy’. During its tenure, the Sukhu government has returned hundreds of crores of rupees—sent by the Modi government for the health department—unused.”

Thakur said that the central government is extending substantial support to Himachal’s health sector. “Despite this, the CM and the state government are attempting to mislead the public by constantly accusing the Centre of not supporting Himachal,” he said.

The LoP said that the state government revealed that the Centre had sanctioned ₹211 crore over the past three years under the Free Medicine Scheme. “Out of the allocated funds, the Sukhu government spent only ₹165 crore, while ₹45 crore—approximately one-fourth of the total amount—remained unspent. Leaving aside hospitals in remote areas, even medical colleges are facing a shortage of basic supplies such as medicines for coughs and colds, dressings, needles, and syringes. Forget expensive medicines; people are struggling to access even basic glucose drips”, he alleged.

He said that in the 2024-25 fiscal year, Himachal received ₹80 crore from the Centre; of this, ₹66 crore was spent, leaving a balance of ₹13.88 crore. In 2025-26, out of ₹95.30 crore, ₹74.31 crore was utilised, with ₹21 crore remaining unspent. Similarly, for the 2026-27 year (up to August 1, 2026), ₹35.89 crore was made available, but only ₹25 crore was spent, leaving a balance of nearly ₹11 crore.